As the calendar edges out of August into September, there is a relative quiet to reflect on the whir of the summer and a year that had a few twists and turns.
One of those twists was relocating to a new address. In August, we left 675 Main Street and moved into the second floor classrooms at Christ Church at 569 Main Street. In this new Main Street Studios, we have four private artist work spaces/studios, a community space for meetings, classes, and programs, as well as a designated office space for the FCA. In addition, there are larger shared spaces in the building that include meeting space and a hall with a stage (ideal for hosting larger events and Broadway Karaoke) We are thrilled with the new location, its historic architecture, brightly lit spaces, tall ceilings, and being part of a community that values the arts and building relationships between organizations.
We share the address of 569 Main Street with two FCA founding members, Christ Church and Stratton Players. Christ Church has a long history of supporting the arts, particularly music. Stratton is the longest continuously operating community theater in the region, getting ready to celebrate their centennial next year. We look forward to seeing what collaborative projects come from being in the same space and fueling one another’s creative energy.
Admittedly, focusing on the move has put us behind schedule with some of our annual projects, including Fitchburg Open Studios and the North Central MA Directory of Arts & Culture.
This year, Fitchburg Open Studios will take place on October 19 and October 20. The annual event is an opportunity to connect with audiences, network with other artists, and share your creative work. If you would like to open the doors to your studio/work space or pop up at a location in downtown Fitchburg, we encourage you to register today. We welcome artists from throughout the North Central MA region and hope to continue to expand the tour to include locations that celebrate the arts beyond Fitchburg.
Through this event and other projects in the year to come, we will focus our efforts on getting to know and building the audience for the arts in our region. There are over 30 towns and small cities in North Central Massachusetts. In each community, there are historical societies, libraries, individual artists working in a home studio, galleries to display art, theaters that perform plays, bandstands for concerts, shops full of crafts and baked goods, dance schools, and events that bring the public into the town to explore, shop, and hear stories. We want to learn more about all these creative communities and enterprises. Not just learn but enjoy and share what we learn.
With that in mind, we are reshaping our Directory of Arts & Culture and renaming it the North Central Massachusetts Arts Guide. We aim to publish it in early 2025. We hope this will help set some intentions to explore our own backyards for things to do and make in the new year, but also to welcome new artists and audiences to our region. This includes the new residents of the Fitchburg Arts Community who are expected to start moving into their apartments early in the new year.
We hope you will consider not only participating in our events and projects to help tell the story of our creative region, but also join us in visiting a nearby town to enjoy their music or history or gallery show. Make art, but also take some time to enjoy the art that surrounds us.
If you would like to register for Fitchburg Open Studios you can find the details and registration link here.
If you would like to be listed in the North Central Massachusetts Arts Guide, you can find the details here.
Come visit us at 569 Main Street. We are hosting a member meetup/open house on Wednesday, September 11. See the artist studios, explore the historic building, and meet some of our members. Hear some more of our stories from the summer and share your own.
Be well. Be creative.
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